Wild Camping At KaKhulu Karoo

August 24, 2022 Posted in Travel / The Honey Badger Diaries

Like everyone else, I love a riddle or a lekker ou skinder, but this visit left me with more questions about the landscape and wildlife than answers.

As instructed, we turned left onto Pearston Road. We made good time and soon pulled up, our engine rumbling, at the imposing gates of KaKhulu Karoo Game Farm.

“kaKhulu Karoo is on a privately owned game reserve, iSanti, part of the Great Karoo, a vast 20,100-hectare area rich in wildlife and plant life, with a deep history and a conservation focus,” the website says.

Warren, the guide, and his partner Paula met us en route to reception and led us to our wild campsite on the banks of a large dam. We set up in no time; the awning was rolled out, and our tables and chairs were set. We were ready to spend two nights doing nothing but take Warren up on his offer to join him on a game-keeping drive. He checks weekly to ensure the pride of lions is hunting and in good condition.

Sitting there with a drink in hand, watching four Gemsbok navigate the rocky slopes of a koppie, we wondered who owned this spectacular piece of land. I am no genius nor a property mogul. Still, it was blatantly clear that the vast tract of land, infrastructure, and game, including elephant, giraffe, lions, cheetah, leopard (they’re in the mountains), zebra and a wide range of antelope species, don’t come cheap, nor would an investment of this nature be made by someone who doesn’t have their heart in conservation. This project is one of epic proportions, demanding patience, endurance and passion.

We took an afternoon stroll around the dam’s perimeter, enjoying the antics of ducks and other water birds. (I didn’t keep a log of the birds I spotted, unfortunately.) Ever optimistic, I envisaged herds of antelope, giraffe, zebra, and elephant coming down to drink at sunset, but that sadly never happened. Good winter rains had fallen, and there was too much water in the veld.

Butch heard a zebra snort as we watched a splendid sunset and sipped our sundowners. The red-knobbed coots paddled up and down in the shallows until they found a safe spot to spend the night, if they ever stopped to sleep.

An early supper did the trick before we headed to bed with our books, movies, and piping hot Milo. With my bed socks on and a hot water bottle warming my toes, we pulled the duvet over our ears and settled to enjoy a cold Karoo night. Unfortunately, it didn’t get that cold, and before long, our incubator became too toasty as a hot flush came crashing down on me.

Sunshine flooded our Honey Badger; it was time for a quick coffee and rusk before Warren arrived to pick us up for the “game drive”.

Butch and I are rarely guided on our trips into the bush, and every time we succumb to temptation and hop on the bus or game viewer, we’re blown away by the experience. The knowledge and information shared are worth every second in the back seat. Butch is free to enjoy nature and take photographs; he can relax completely and go with the flow.

We learned how COVID restrictions and travel bans have affected the farm, leading to staff retrenchments and maintenance delays, and how much resilience it takes to sustain conservation efforts.

The lions were magnificent; we found them resting after feasting on a springbok. Their hunt had been successful. Exploring this game farm was a privilege that doesn’t come our way too often. The rolling mountains, sheer cliffs, and abundance of fauna and flora were overwhelming. We identified forests of Spekboom and a plant/tree with a two-metre circumference on the farm.

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Some interesting facts about this marvellous indigenous plant. The Spekboom

Leaves are Edible
Medicinal Values: Sucking a leaf to quench thirst and treat exhaustion, dehydration and heatstroke.
I use crushed leaves to relieve blisters.
Chewing leaves can treat sore throat and mouth infections.
Juiced leaves are used as an antiseptic to soothe skin ailments such as pimples, rashes, insect stings and sunburn.
In certain areas, people use the stems to help build huts/homes. They dry the stems and use them as thatch for hut roofs.
In Mozambique, breastfeeding mothers eat Spekboom leaves to increase their milk supply.
During a famine, the Zulus eat the leaves raw.
Spekboom is a succulent that grows quickly and can be planted closely to form a hedge; it can also be used as an ornamental succulent for a rockery or to check soil erosion. It makes a beautiful bonsai or an excellent pot plant. You can grow it in a large container on a sunny patio, but it needs occasional watering.
You can propagate Spekboom from cuttings, which you must keep dry to prevent rot.
It Helps to Fight Climate Change and Air Pollution
It is Water-wise and very resilient
Spekboom can live up to 200 Years Old!
This plant is edible, high in nutrients, especially Vitamin C, and a perfect addition to a salad.
It is a firm favourite in the animal kingdom, especially for elephants, kudu and black rhinos.

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Our two-day stay slipped by too soon. Wild camping in the Karoo is the ultimate treat, and being amongst wild animals is a privilege. I hope the farm’s Slovakian owner (a break-dance champion and pharmacist) can return soon, though I doubt it. We recently learned the farm was for sale. It’s all a conundrum, especially with the war raging in Ukraine. My mind races through many scenarios and conclusions. As I pondered these questions, the thought that this might all be a rich man's folly entered my mind. But we appreciate that people with vision often open these spectacular places to ordinary Joe Soaps like us, who can enjoy them too. Aren’t we fortunate?

On our way out, we spotted two giraffes and a herd of springbok. At last, we were on our way to Nieu Bethesda!

Thank you, Warren and Paula, for taking us on a wonderful drive, sharing so much knowledge, and being a super host. We hope the lodges will be chock-a-block, fully booked soon.

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I read this quote this morning. How true. From Daily Maverick

Thursday, 25 August 2022

“Nothing great in the world was accomplished without passion.”

Georg Wilhelm Friedrich Hegel

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